Report Reveals Decades-Long Church of England Cover-Up of Barrister’s “Horrific” Abuse

A critical report has concluded that the “horrific” and violent abuse perpetrated by a British barrister against over 100 children and young men was concealed within the Church of England for decades. An independent review, which had been anticipated for a long time, identified John Smyth QC as potentially the most prolific serial abuser linked to the Church of England. Smyth QC, who passed away in Cape Town in 2018 at the age of 77, faced accusations of assaulting boys at his residence in Winchester. These boys had been encountered by him at a Christian summer camp in Dorset throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Following the release of the findings, the Archbishop of Canterbury reiterated his apology to the victims, stating that Smyth’s abuse involved “manipulated Christian truth to justify his evil acts”. While operating camps for young evangelical Christians, Smyth also served as a barrister, notably representing morality campaigner Mary Whitehouse. An investigation conducted by Channel 4 News in February 2017 brought to light accounts of his physical abuse of boys. This investigation followed a 1982 report by the Iwerne Trust, which remained undisclosed to the public until 2016. Smyth’s behavior was challenged subsequent to the report’s compilation by Rev Mark Ruston and Rev David Fletcher. The report indicated that Smyth identified students from prominent public schools, such as Winchester College, and transported them to his home near Winchester in Hampshire, where he administered lashings with a garden cane in his shed. It detailed that eight of the boys endured a combined total of 14,000 lashes, and an additional two boys received 8,000 strokes jointly over a period of three years. The Iwerne Trust described the practice as “horrific,” yet these allegations were not reported to the police until 2013, over three decades later. The report concluded that despite his “appalling” actions being identified in the 1980s, he was never completely exposed, which allowed him to persist in his abuse. He was advised to depart the country and subsequently relocated to Zimbabwe, with no referral to the police occurring. The independent review, headed by Keith Makin, states that during this period, church officers “knew of the abuse and failed to prevent further abuse”. It further notes: “From July 2013 the Church of England knew, at the highest level, about the abuse that took place in the late 1970s and early 1980s. John Smyth should have been properly and effectively reported to the police in the UK and to relevant authorities in South Africa.” “This represented a further missed opportunity to bring him to justice.” While in Zimbabwe, he faced a charge of manslaughter concerning a 16-year-old boy who was participating in one of his summer camps. Smyth was not found guilty of this offense. Joanne Grenfell, the Church of England’s lead safeguarding bishop, and Alexander Kubeyinje, the national director of safeguarding, issued a joint statement expressing that they were “deeply sorry for the horrific abuse inflicted by the late John Smyth and its lifelong effects, already spanning more than 40 years” and affirmed that “there is never a place for covering up abuse”. Smyth reportedly subjected his victims to traumatic physical, sexual, psychological, and spiritual assaults, leaving permanent marks on their lives. The review indicated that at the time of his death, he was undergoing extradition proceedings from Zimbabwe, and consequently was “never brought to justice for the abuse”. The review, which was commissioned by the Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England a year after Smyth’s death, discovered that some had argued the abuses were “examples of over-enthusiastic corporal punishment”. However, the report explicitly stated: “The conclusion of the review is that he committed criminal acts of gross abuse.” Bishop of Guildford Andrew Watson, who was one of Smyth’s victims, released a statement saying: “I want to express my deep sadness at all that has happened, and my admiration for those who have doggedly persevered in having the truth told. “The report won’t make for easy reading for anyone involved: but it’s my hope and prayer that it might bring at least some measure of relief to Smyth’s victims – British and African, known and unknown”. The report indicated that while approximately 30 boys and young men are confirmed to have suffered direct physical and psychological abuse in the UK, and around 85 boys and young men were physically abused in African nations, including Zimbabwe, the overall number “likely runs much higher”. It asserted: “John Smyth is, arguably, the most prolific serial abuser to be associated with the Church of England.” Following the report’s publication on Thursday, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby described the suffering endured by Smyth’s victims as “unimaginable”. In a statement, Mr. Welby declared: “I am so sorry that in places where these young men, and boys, should have felt safe and where they should have experienced God’s love for them, they were subjected to physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual abuse.” Mr. Welby stated that he was unaware of Smyth’s brutality prior to 2013, but acknowledged: “Nevertheless the review is clear that I personally failed to ensure that after disclosure in 2013 the awful tragedy was energetically investigated”. He further added that such abuse would not be possible today due to contemporary safeguarding practices, concluding: “John Smyth’s abuse manipulated Christian truth to justify his evil acts, whilst exploiting and abusing the power entrusted to him”. On Thursday evening, Mr. Welby informed Channel 4 News that he had contemplated resigning due to the scandal but ultimately chose to stay. However, Mark Stibbe, one of Smyth’s victims, told the program: “I think he should resign… I think there’s so much shame, so much pain, so much agony associated with this”. Smyth and his wife Anne were excommunicated by their local church in Cape Town, South Africa, the year preceding his death.